John Noel , a Brooklyn native who covered local and national news as an Emmy-winning reporter for WNBC-TV, died this morning after a battle with brain cancer, station executives said.

He was 62.

Although Noel, was diagnosed with the illness two years ago, he continued to report the news and cover his Brooklyn beat while receiving treatments. He had been off the air for almost three months.

“Our WNBC family sends its thoughts and prayers to John’s family,” the station said in a statement. “He will be sincerely missed.”

After growing up in Brooklyn, Noel joined the Air Force in the 1970s. He became interested in the business while deployed in Thailand where he was a radio programmer and announcer for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Network

When he returned to the US, he went to college on the GI Bill. Noel attended Brooklyn College, graduating summa cum laude, and went on to get a MA in Journalism from the University of Missouri.

He joined WNBC in 1998 after reporting stops in Detroit and St. Louis.

Noel kept close ties to Brooklyn’s Caribbean community.

“As a fellow Brooklynite, Grenadian-American and alum of Brooklyn College, I felt a special pride watching John’s reporting and the superb character he displayed to those who knew him,” said city councilman Jumaane Williams.

“As an award-winning journalist, he served as a source of pride for the Caribbean community and an inspiration to a generation of journalists of color.”